Do you keep a supply of food on hand?

[Timothy W.]

This is not to be apocalyptic but to bring back to the front of people's minds a tradition that seems to have been lost recently. People used to keep pantries with significant stores of preserved food on hand in the case of emergencies or a temporary loss of income. I have personally experienced times when I've not had the money to buy food and have had to not eat for a day or two and/or eat for about $1 a day. Having been through that, whenever I sell a property or do a deal that flushes me with quick cash one of the first things I do is increase the preserved food stock.

In real estate, investing and just life in general for that matter, you have to anticipate the possibility that you may be without capital for a while for some unforeseen reason. I have a sense we are especially prone to this in real estate as not many other investment vehicles may need unexpected repairs and in the event of a natural disaster hitting your portfolio, you're not only dealing with the damage to your home but the income from your portfolio is instantly gone until you reach an insurance settlement and repairs are done.

For these reasons, I personally think it's smart for a person in the feast/famine lifestyle of real estate investing to keep at the bare minimum a one month supply of nonperishable food on hand. It's ridiculously easy to accomplish - even for apartment dwellers. I was able to create a stock that I could put inside an 18 gallon rubbermaid tub that could be pushed into the back of a closet. If anyone wants some photos of how I did that, I could put that together.

So let's hear it. Do you carry at least a 1 month supply of nonperishable food on hand? If not, speak up and within 7 days I'll help you get set up to where you can say yes. I'm willing to work with folks on this to get this set up. A 1 month supply is not the end game, but it's an easy start that most folks can handle.

Tim